Fixing a Barcode Reader Trigger

A few years ago I bought a barcode reader for use in a school Library. It was a Cino 780BT, Bluetooth, nice base station, glorious battery. It was a really nice unit.
One slight issue: The trigger switch on them sucks. The first one we warrantied and got a replacement, the second one developed the same fault after a year or so of use too. The first time it happened the switch had come loose from the board, so I resoldered it back on (it’s a SMD switch, so there wasn’t much holding it on).
I contacted the company, they wanted me to send it back to them to fix (and charge me for it), the switch would be $20 + labour to fit it. I figured since it was out of warranty I’d give it a shot and see if I could replace it.

I couldn’t find a decent switch to fit (I tried to repurpose a switch from a mouse, but I couldn’t get it to fit right), so I used a switch from my Mechanical Keyboard sampler kit (it has 4 different types of switches to try out to see which one you like).

So: Little bit of soldering and some hot glue later, I have a working barcode reader again!

Posted by duck

2 comments

Hi, I read your advice about flattening aluminum cans with a sandwich maker which sounds perfect for the project my friend and I are working on (a piece of wall art for her daughter’s room). She wants to buy one but those we’ve seen online seem to have ridged cooking surfaces, not flat which I’m sure is what we need. Could you tell me what brand you have so we can get the same kind you have. I really appreciate any help you can give us. Her daughter is a special needs child and we know she would love our gift.